1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof connector which does not damage a waterproof plug at a time of receiving a terminal having the waterproof plug in a terminal receiving chamber.
2. Description of the Related Art
A related waterproof connector is provided with a housing main body having a plurality of terminal receiving chambers, and a plurality of terminal inserting portions formed in this housing main body. The related waterproof connector is structured such that a terminal assembled in an electric wire and having a waterproof plug is received within the terminal receiving chamber, and the waterproof plug is closely assembled on an inner peripheral surface of the terminal inserting portion, whereby a waterproof plug is applied to a portion between the electric wire and the inner peripheral surface of the terminal inserting portion.
The terminal inserting portions are formed by a tube-shaped body and are respectively extended from a plurality of terminal receiving chambers. These terminal inserting portions are integrally formed in a state that outer peripheral surfaces are in contact with each other, and are sectioned by common wall portions between the adjacent portions. Further, each of the terminal inserting portions is provided with a taper surface at an opening edge.
A terminal is inserted to the terminal inserting portion when the terminal is assembled in the waterproof connector. When the terminal is inserted into the terminal inserting portion at a predetermined position, the waterproof plug is brought into contact with the taper surface. When the terminal is inserted into the terminal inserting portion in this state, the waterproof plug slides along the taper surface in a contact manner so as to be guided within the terminal inserting portion. As a result, the terminal is received in the terminal receiving chamber, and the waterproof plug is closely attached to the inner peripheral surface of the terminal inserting portion.
In this case, in the related waterproof connector described above, the adjacent terminal inserting portions are integrally formed in a state that the outer peripheral surfaces are in contact with each other for the purpose of making compact, a thickness of the common wall portion is made thin, and a distance between the adjacent terminal inserting portions is made short.
Accordingly, there is a case that the taper surfaces in the adjacent terminal inserting portions are in contact with each other on the common wall portion and an edge portion having an acute angle is formed on the common wall portion due to the taper surface. In this case, the waterproof plug is brought into contact with the edge portion so as to be damaged at a time when the terminal is inserted to the terminal inserting portion, so that there is a risk that it is impossible to waterproof between the electric wire and the terminal inserting portion.
Moreover, when a size of the taper surface is made small so that the taper surfaces in the adjacent terminal inserting portions are not in contact with each other on the common wall portion, there is a problem that a guiding performance of guiding the terminal on the taper surface to the terminal inserting portion is reduced and it takes a lot of trouble with an assembling operation of the terminal in the waterproof connector.
An object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof connector which can prevent a waterproof plug from being damaged by an edge portion at a time of inserting a terminal to a terminal inserting portion so as to securely waterproof between an electric wire and a terminal inserting portion, and does not reduce an operability of assembling the terminal.
In order to achieve the object described above, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a waterproof connector comprising a housing main body having a plurality of terminal receiving chambers; a plurality of terminal inserting portions formed in the housing main body, extended from the plurality of terminal receiving chambers and to which terminals assembled in electric wires and having waterproof plugs are respectively inserted; a plurality of common wall portions respectively sectioning between adjacent portions in the plurality of terminal inserting portions; and taper surfaces respectively provided in opening edges of the plurality of terminal inserting portions and guiding the terminals to the terminal inserting portions, and maximum diameter portions of the taper surfaces in the adjacent terminal inserting portions are at least in contact on the common wall portion, wherein the waterproof connector is provided with a damage preventing portion formed in a portion in which the taper surfaces of the adjacent terminal inserting portions on the common wall portion are in contact with each other, and prevents the waterproof plug from being damaged at a time of inserting the terminals to the terminal inserting portions.
According to the first aspect of the present invention structured in the manner described above, when the terminals assembled in the electric wires and having the waterproof plugs are inserted into the terminal inserting portions, the waterproof plugs are brought into contact with the taper surface. In this state, when the terminals are inserted to the terminal inserting portions, the waterproof plugs slide along the taper surface in a contact manner so as to be guided within the terminal inserting portions. When the terminals are received within the terminal receiving chambers, the outer peripheral surfaces of the waterproof plugs are closely attached to the inner peripheral surfaces of the terminal inserting portions.
Moreover, in the case that the terminals are inserted to the terminal inserting portions in a state that a whole of them is slanted to a side of the common wall portion, the waterproof plugs are brought into contact with the common wall portion. At this time, the waterproof plugs can be prevented by the damage preventing portion from being damaged even when the waterproof plugs are brought into contact with the portion that the taper surfaces in the adjacent terminal inserting portions of the common wall portion are in contact with each other.
Moreover, in the waterproof connector described above, the damage preventing portion may be constituted by a concave step portion in which an inner peripheral surface forms an acute angle with respect to the taper surface.
According to the waterproof connector structured in the manner described above, in the case that the terminals are inserted to the terminal inserting portions in a state that a whole of them is slanted to a side of the common wall portion, the waterproof plugs are brought into contact with the common wall portion. At this time, apart of the waterproof plugs are brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the step portion formed on the common wall portion.
Moreover, the damage preventing portion may be formed by a curved surface connecting the taper surfaces of the adjacent terminal inserting portions to each other.
According to the waterproof connector structured in the manner mentioned above, in the case that the terminals are inserted to the terminal inserting portions in a state that a whole of them is slanted to a side of the common wall portion of the terminal inserting portions, the waterproof plugs are brought into contact with the common wall portion. At this time, a part of the waterproof plugs are brought into contact with the curved surface formed on the common wall portion.